We're With Kofi: A U.S. Army Soldier Who Was Supported by the USO From Deployment to the Homefront

By Kayla Clark

From the moment that a service member raises their right hand and begins their military journey, the USO strives to be a source of steadfast support through every step of their military career. That includes providing guidance for them to reach career or educational goals that they may have while they are still in service.

Meet Kofi, a 24-year-old soldier who deployed to Iraq earlier this year for his very first deployment in the U.S. Army Reserves. But just a few weeks prior to his deployment, he was going to school full-time at Virginia Tech, studying biochemistry and biology, only to be in combat boots in a desert weeks later.

Kofi and his family are originally from Ghana but relocated to the United States and settled in Virginia when he was 12 years old. While Kofi and his family loved Ghana and their home culture and community, they made the tough decision to move to the U.S. to pursue better educational and employment opportunities. Throughout his teen and young adult years, Kofi had big dreams to one day work in the healthcare field and so he decided to join the military.

Kofi ended up enlisting in the U.S. Army, becoming an ammunition specialist, and was later accepted into Virginia Tech in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and biology. He appreciated how the Army Reserves allowed him to serve while also pursuing his education full-time.

Months later, however, he was called for his first deployment. He packed up, put school on pause and headed to Al Asad, Iraq. It wasn’t just this deployment that helped mold his decision to pursue a full-time career in the Army after he graduates, it was also on this deployment that Kofi discovered the USO.

During his deployment to the Middle East, Kofi had the opportunity to shadow lab technicians on his days off from his normal job. It was this experience that fueled his desire to pursue a laboratory officer position with the Army and make the military a long-term career.

“Being a part of a laboratory environment is like being behind the camera in the acting world. They are more behind-the-scenes and run the tests the doctors order,” said Kofi. “I enjoy that aspect of being a laboratory officer; I don’t have to be a doctor to save a life, I can do it from a laboratory … Every ER cannot function without a lab technician; so once I am licensed as an MLS, I will be doing my part to save a life everyday.”

Among the USO’s 250+ Center locations throughout the world, including the USO Center in Al Asad, Iraq, the USO aims to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in our nation’s military and their families by providing a home away from home and morale-boosting programming. There in the desert, nearing the end of his first deployment, Kofi discovered the organization and met Sonja Jones, a center operations specialist who shared more about what the USO does to support the military community, including the USO Transition Program.

The USO Transition Program is geared toward active duty, Reserve and National Guard members, as well as military spouses, and offers professional development services throughout the duration of their military service as well as in preparation for life post-military. This can include everything from training on financial readiness, assisting with educational opportunities, networking, career advice and so much more.

“We would see each other outside of the USO and have good talks,” shared Sonja. “Kofi started telling me about his goals, and I started telling him how the Transition Program could help him reach those goals. I also encouraged him to attend some of the online transition programs we offered or at least sign up so someone could contact him. I explained that the program is not just for soldiers leaving the military, but also for those looking for guidance in their current careers. I talked about the certificate programs and resume writing classes. I mentioned that the information might not all apply to him, but he could help other soldiers by letting them know about the program.”

Kofi was intrigued, and he loved the personalization and one-on-one support between service members and their USO Transition Specialists. He decided to participate in the program to discuss his career aspirations, as well as to be connected to the USO’s free resources to assist him with his goals of career advancement.

After registering, he was connected with a Transition Specialist within a day, and he and his USO Transition Specialist connected virtually to discuss his career and educational aspirations from the deserts of his deployment.

While Kofi was still deployed in Iraq, he worked with his USO Transition Specialist several hundreds of miles away in Italy to establish his initial custom Action Plan, complete with free resources for his resume and LinkedIn. His goal was to prepare for and seek out employment while he finished school back stateside, ideally gathering some additional lab experience. He was connected with the USO Job Board, which houses over 50,000 jobs with the USO and the organization’s corporate partners, such as Boeing, Grifols, RTX, Adobe, Enbridge and so many more. He also was connected to the new USO Interview Prep tool, providing access to interview curriculum with mock interview questions and answers in a variety of different fields.

“[Kofi] was elated after speaking with his Transition Specialist and was excited for his next steps,” shared Sonja. “I think Kofi will do great, especially with programs like this one to support him. He will surpass his goals and expectations.”

When it was time for Kofi to return stateside after his deployment, the USO Transition Program ensured he was still well-supported throughout the program. He was connected with a local USO Transition Specialist back in Virginia, who continued to assist Kofi in his professional career goals.

“I really have enjoyed seeing Kofi grow with USO Transition,” shared Katie Busch, his USO Transition Specialist in Virginia. “When he first joined the program, he was using what I call our ‘building block’ resources, like resume support and interview preparation. Now he is using those finished products and skills attained to work with local connections to achieve his final goal of employment.”

Currently, Kofi is still working with Katie and connecting bi-weekly for accountability and ongoing check-ins.

“The USO Transition [Program] has helped tremendously,” Kofi said. “One instance being I was able to find resources help me tailor my resume on a more professional level and connect my current Army job experience to my future Army job … I love how, with this program, you receive a Specialist that is specifically for you and can find resources for what you need.”

When asked what advice he would give to other service members and Reservists, he shared, “The military has a plethora of resources to help its service members and advance in life. Do the research and find out how it can benefit you.”

From the deserts of Iraq, to virtual calls from staff in Europe, to additional resources back home in Virginia, Kofi has leaned on the USO’s network of support each step of the way through his USO Transition Program journey. From here, his future is bright.